The Cecil Whig., 1887-06-11
AROUND THE WORLD.
How the Cable Connects the lnha bited PaI

How the Cable Connects the lnha bited Parts
OF the Globe.
The submarine cable cl art of the navy
and merchantile marine of the United
States exhibits fully the submarine cable
system of the world, and to some extent
its telegraphic sytem, and iu connection
Herewith gives the rates from Washing
ton by cable and wire to the more impur-
tant ports and cities. The centre of the
cable system as of the commercial sys-
TEN of the world. it is perceived from the
direction taken by the converging lines
OF the map, is London. From that city
radiate cable lines to Canada and the
United States, to South America, to In
dia, Burmah the East Indies, China and
Japan, and Australia and New Zealand.
A cable extends to points on the west
coast of Africa as far South as Paul de
Loauda, aud will in short time connect
at Cape Town with a cable stretching
along the east coast of Africa to Alden,
and theuce across the Indian ocean to In
dia Another cable, from karachi along
the length of the Persian gulf to Bushre
and Fac, and thence overland via Te-
heran and Constantinople, constitutes
an alternative channel of intelligence, in
case the Mediterranean and Red Sea cable
should be blocked. Tne channel and the
German ocean are crossed by many Ca
bles, and of the latter one enters the Bal
tic tor st. Petersburg, whence there is
telegraph communication via Siberia
with Nladivostok and other points on the
Pacific. 1t is a striking fact that while
ten cables cross the Atlantic to North
America and two to South America,
there are none that cross the Pacific. The
citizen of California or of Chill who wishes
to communicate with his CORES pondeut
at Nagasaki, Japan, or at Sydney, in
Australia, has no direct connection, but
must send his message over three quar-
ters of the circumference of the earth.
This anomaly promises, however, to be
corrected in short time, the completion
of the Canadian Pacific Railway having
set to work financial, comm ercial and po-
litical influences that will soon compel
cable connection from Naucouvre across
the Pacific with China, India and Aus
tralia The close ties of commerce, race
and language between this continent aud
Europe have neceSsitated the laying
down of many cables across the Atlantic,
and have made them, despite their cost,
paying investments. The history of Ca
BILE rates on these lines is instructive, as
showing the benefit the public obtains
from competition where the value Of the
ice performed is the same. While
there was but a single cable, or a single
company managing all the cables, rates
were very high.
But with the construction of compet-
ing lines, with the same facilities and
giving exactly the same return tor the
money, the rate per word has declined
from 30 to 81 cents, and SO on, till now,
under the competition of the Commercial
Company, the rate from Washington to
Great Britain, Ireland, France, is but
twelve cents per word. Where cable
company retains a p onopoly of the busi-
ness, rates are still high. From Wash
ington to New Zealand, via Europe, the
least charge per word is - 80; to Pekin,
-. IA; To Maranham, in Brazil, - Al; to
Loauda, So 43; to points in Columbia,
South America, $66S. These rates are
added to the Atlantic cable rates when
messages are to be sent via Europe.
When messages are sent over the cables
that cross from Key West to Cuba, and
thence to south America, or from New
Orleans to Tampico, i'll Mexico, and
hence to points on the Pacific in Central
and South America, the rates are not al
ways such, perhaps, as close competition
would have named. The rate to Havana
is 30 cents per word, but to Trinidad it is
T. 81. To Tampico it is So, while to
Valparaiso, where there is competition
from the European cable, the rate is but
81 .25. Practical competition, it is OBJ
served, every where brings the rate per
word down to the lowest figure cuusls,
tent with profit.